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  #16  
Old 06-14-2004, 01:51 PM
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Luddite cars

are out there, if you're looking. My grandmother retired her driving self 2 years ago, and I stepped up to the plate for her 1983 Datsun Sentra. 60 thousand miles, tan, automatic, 4 door, with A/C. Roll-up windows, and power steering. Interior was a bit baked from sitting closed up in the parking lot at the retirement home, but not a care in the world during the last two years of driving... the perfect commuter car. The gas savings alone paid for itself in less than a year. Especially in a world that has grown meaner (jealous vandals, unreported parking lot dents, hyper expensive body shops), a lowkey car draws less attention/ ire. And you don't spend time/ energy looking for the "best" parking place, and you don't fret about where your car is or who's passing by...... quite a relief after time with a 560SEL and other "higher concern" stuff.

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  #17  
Old 06-14-2004, 02:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by PaulC
All this begs the question: What is the closest thing to a Luddite vehicle that you can find in today's showrooms? No cheating by referring to truck-based vehicles.
Either an Enfield or a Ural motorcycle. Enfields are made in India to the original 1950s British design; even after the parent company went away, the Indians kept on making them, and now we can buy them here. Similarly, Ural motorcycles are the original BMW R75 design from WWII (not the 1970-76 R75) that the Russians started manufacturing after the war copying captured bikes. BMW's been through 4 or 5 generations of motorcycles since then, but the Russians never changed theirs - 1943 technology in your showroom today!

Another candidate would be the Caterham Seven, which I think you can still find in the US. Colin Chapman sold the tooling for the 50s vintage Lotus 7 to Caterham, which has made them ever since. The final candidate would be Morgans, which have been made with minimal changes since the 50s (30s, really) including wood frames. A company called Isis imported them to the US, I don't know if they still do. I heard Morgan's changing their design completely; they have an internal cycle - new models every 50 years, whether they need them or not.
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  #18  
Old 06-14-2004, 03:10 PM
Jim B+
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Still have MY '50 Packard...

...or to be precise, a "23rd Series Deluxe Eight Touring Sedan".

Have had it since 1980. The 288 ci straight 8 engine has plenty of go, even with the (auto) "Ultramatic" transmission.

This Packard is the rough equivalent of my 240D's. Packard was known for the kind of incremental engineering, attention to detail and build quality, and conservative style that were also Mercedes hallmarks up until the late '80s. In fact, Mercedes comes closest to filling the market niche left when Packard folded in 1956 (and Studebaker-Packard imported MB 300s in the late '50s to try and cover Packard's demise).
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  #19  
Old 06-15-2004, 10:31 AM
Jim B+
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Ultramatic was the only automatic transmission ever

developed by an "independent" carmaker...after 54 years, mine still works fine.

Straight eights, altho prone to overheating, were silent, durable, easy to work on, and had a great acceleration curve. Buick was a close cousin.

Like an '80s MB diesel, Packards were built for over 50 years as cars not designed to wear out, but to be maintained at modest cost by a fine dealer / service network.

A Road & Track profile of Packard cited "...standards, solidity, tone, taste, style" as hallmarks of the brand. Same could have been said for Mercedes...once. Maybe the Daimler-Chrysler merger was as bad an idea as that between Studebaker and Packard...we'll see.
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  #20  
Old 06-24-2004, 12:51 AM
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Jim B+,
I saw a program about Hank Williams Sr. on one of the local PBS stations tonight and thought about you. They showed the stretch 1948 Packard Limo that Hank used to ride around in.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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